If you’re a fan of Paula’s books and Web sites, you’re well aware that she’s a big proponent of using skin-care products that contain antioxidants. Research has shown time and again that topically applied antioxidants have multiple benefits for skin, particularly in the presence of sunlight. What I didn’t fully realize was how critical antioxidants are as we age. Here’s what I learned from a recent article published in the peer-reviewed journal Cosmetic Dermatology:

• Skin exposure to UV radiation can completely exhaust the skin’s natural supply of antioxidants. With continued unprotected sun exposure, UV rays can act like a kid in a candy store, indiscriminately “helping themselves” to your skin’s support structure. It’s as though your skin’s soldiers (its natural supply of defenses against oxidative damage) have laid down their arms, allowing the enemy to win the war. The result? With continued unprotected sun exposure, skin’s oxidative defense system becomes incapable of fully regenerating itself. What’s worse, the little that does get regenerated is consistently weakened and less capable of defending skin from damage.
• Topically-applied antioxidants not only prevent damage from reactive oxygen species (or ROS, rouge molecules generated by free radical damage) but they also help prevent the conversion of normally harmless or helpful substances in skin into pro-oxidants. Imagine that: going without sufficient antioxidant protection and ignoring sun protection means innocent substances in skin begin acting like criminals, looting your skin of what it needs to look youthful and resist damage.
• This last point I already knew but it bears repeating: there is no single best antioxidant. In fact, shopping for skin-care products centered around one antioxidant (like vitamins C or E) means you won’t be giving your skin its best chance of recovering from the various types of damage caused by oxidation and sunlight. There are thousands of antioxidants available, and among those that have the most research, one thing has become clear: different antioxidants have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, although vitamin C is involved in collagen synthesis, it isn’t fat soluble. That means it needs help to penetrate the lipids (fats) naturally present in skin if it is to reach its target and do the most good. Some antioxidants are all-around free radical scavengers while others work better to regenerate substances in skin that work to defend it from oxidative damage and inflammation. The bottom line is that taking a cocktail approach to using antioxidant topically is best. Variety is the spice of antioxidants!

I am continually fascinated by new research concerning how antioxidants impact our skin and overall health. Learning about how and why they work and how they should be formulated for maximum efficacy is one of the most exciting parts of my job. Best of all is the feedback we get from customers who’ve used our antioxidant-rich serums and moisturizers. The changes they see in their skin are exactly how well-formulated products loaded with antioxidants are supposed to work. Couple this with daily sun protection, a healthy diet, and smart lifestyle choices and you’re well on your way toward keeping skin’s defense systems ready to handle the reality of living in an oxygen-rich world.

I will be the first to admit it- I used to be a tanorexic. I look back at pictures and realize I had darker skin than a Chocolate Labrador! And trust me, my true skin color is no where that level of tan.

My days of sun-worshipping began as a child when my summers were spent playing in the pool for hours and coming out with some very distinct tan lines. The idea of applying sunscreen was a foreign concept to my parents. That stuff was just for pale red heads right? Then during my teen years I became obsessed with tan skin, thinking that if I got dark enough my blemishes would be camouflaged, and maybe even dry out. So the vicious cycle began- tanning beds, laying out and lathering on baby oil, hours of softball practice with no sunscreen. I even had so-called “tan offs” with my friends to see who could get the darkest by summer’s end. By this point I knew the dangers of skin cancer, but I had the mentality that it wouldn’t happen to me, and if it did, oh well we are all going to die of cancer somehow if we live long enough. (I know, some of you want to kick me right now! I would kick me if I could go back in time.) All of this carried on through my college years and well…even up until a couple months ago.

You see, I had a job interview with a world-renowned beauty and skin care expert- you guessed it, Paula herself. Near the end of our interview she stopped and asked “How do you feel about losing your tan?” At first, I thought she was making a reference about how hard I would be working, being clammed up in my office and not seeing the light of day. Instead, Paula went on to explain her views on sun damage and handed me her book, The Original Beauty Bible, 3rd Edition. Despite her disparaging comments about my sun-induced skin color, she hired me anyway.

Turning the pages of that book began a life-changing chapter in my relationship with the sun. It may seem like I’m being a bit melodramatic but the truth is, I had been in denial and had never taken the time to truly consider the extent of damage I was doing to my body. Not only did I find out that skin cancer is much more common than I originally thought, but that I was also setting myself up for melasma (brown sun spots), wrinkling, and severe skin aging. I was disturbed when I read that the physical results of sun damage typically do not start to show up until over the age of 30. That means that for the last 25 years that I thought I was invincible, I wasn’t, and I will pay for it sooner rather than later. But by far, my biggest eye-opener was that the sun’s rays are harmful rain or shine, winter or summer. When I realized that UVA rays can penetrate through a window, I was even more shocked! It may not seem like a big deal in the moment, but think about that over a lifespan and imagine the toll it can take on your physical appearance and health.

Now, I don’t want all this to be doom and gloom. I wrote this in the hopes that I could catch the attention of others who have been in denial about their tanning habits and help them to come to the same realization that I did- it’s just not worth it! Let’s face it, most of us like to get a tan for vanity reasons, but you won’t be looking so hot down the road with wrinkly, discolored skin or scars from skin cancer removal. Yes, there is a certain extent of sun damage that is irreversible, but the good news the sooner you start the change, the more you can prevent further damage, decrease the odds of developing skin cancer and lessen the potential signs of aging. First line of defense: wear sunscreen EVERYDAY!

And guess what… thanks to a vast improvement with self-tanners and bronzers on the market you can still look tan when you want to.